rice

Pronunciation: /ɹaɪs/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
  2. noun annual or perennial rhizomatous marsh grasses; seed used for food; straw used for paper
  3. noun English lyricist who frequently worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber (born in 1944)

Etymology

From Middle English rys, from Old French ris, from Old Italian riso, risi, from Byzantine Greek ὄρυζα (óruza), from an Eastern Iranian language related to Middle Persian blnc (*brinǰ), Northern Kurdish riz (beyond Euphrates) and Zazaki riz. Theorized to come to Iranian languages from Sanskrit व्रीहि (vrīhi). Prior to Sanskrit, it is speculated to be possibly a borrowing from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wariñci (“rice”)), or from Austroasiatic languages further east. Alternatively Byzantine Greek ὄρυζα (óruza) is said to be from Hebrew אורז (órez), from South Arabian areez ultimately from Old Tamil 𑀅𑀭𑀺𑀘𑀺 (arici). Doublet of arroz.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
starches, grain
Narrower (hyponyms)
white rice, paddy, brown rice

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